12 DT vlogs and 2 years later, it's official.
Ben Naecker (C'09, Water Polo) and Blake West (W'09, Jazz Combos), the Penn alumni friends who moved to Austin to pursue music and swore that "real jobs were not my forte" have split up because of "real jobs".
After the jump watch their final episode where:
Recently at a Los Angeles Penn event, I bumped into Penn alum Rob Golenberg (W'87, ZBT). Rob has been in the Hollywood biz now for over 20 years now and is currently the VP and Head of TV Literary and Packaging at the Gersh Agency. (I've known about Rob for years now because some Penn friends have had great experiences working for him.)
As you've seen in many of the Hollywood alumni I cover on DT, no one person's path is the same. In Rob's case, he made a big career change early on in his career to Hollywood and has had quite an interesting journey since!
After the jump, learn more about Rob's path from Penn to Hollywood agent and his solid advice to anyone looking to becoming an agent or getting into the entertainment business.
A must read for any Penn alum or undergrad looking to go Hollywood!
As you've seen on DT, I continue to focus on juicy alumni journeys in entertainment. To recap, we've covered journeys in acting (from a guy's and girl's perspctive), music, TV and Film production and TV writing. And we even have advice on how to use DT in your entertainment career search.
Today, I've got an interesting tale about a 2010 grad who got a good taste of working in one of my favorite daily television shows and is now changing careers and changing coasts for a career in law. All with the plan of hopefully returning to entertainment one day.
This is "entertainment"/"law" path is a common one that I've seen over the years , but wanted to highlight it as there will continue to be Penn graduates who will contemplate this decision.
After the jump, find out about Corey Singer (C'10, Penn Players (Chair ’09-’10), Penn Singers, Quadramics) and...
They graduated Penn and moved to Austin to pursue careers in music.
Now, 18 months and 10 DT vlog episodes later, Ben Naecker (C'09, Water Polo) and Blake West (W'09, Jazz Combos) kept the faith and finally found someone "instrumental" to their progress in Austin.
All the while, they've been preaching that "real jobs are not their forte", however after a year, Ben indeed applied to grad school.
After the jump find out if he got in, what effect that may have on all the work they've done thus far ...and which Wharton professor (and record producer!) they'll be working with.
Much has happened since Penn alum entertainment journalist Emily Frances froze her eggs on national TV a few years ago.
Recently, Emily has decided to also put a freeze on entertainment, change careers and do what many Penn alumni do best: become an entrepreneur.
After the jump, learn about Emily's tasty new endeavor and her Superbowl themed commercial airing which just recently started airing!
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| (l to r:) Sabrina and Samantha |
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| Josh with John Cusack |
What happens when one Hollywood Exec has a spiritual awakening and decides to make a life change?
Ask Norman Golightly (C'94, Mask and Wig) who used to run Nicholas Cage's production company, Saturn Films...
To kick off our Winning Women Week, Round 2 series, I've got a good follow-up story....
While she didn't win $350,000 for her film in THIS contest (although came very close), Kristin Fairweather (Penn Grad '01, Masters in Government Administration, Alumni Relations) is still a winner...
After working in children's television for nearly 10 years, most notably creating, producing and writing for:
To kick things off for my Penn Foodies series, here's a great inspirational story about one Penn alum entrepreneur who went from the telecom world to tremendous success in the restaurant world.
After working in the telecom world for a number of years (Centric Telecom, eLink Communications), Marc Glosserman (C'96, Sigma Chi) went on to earn his MBA from Columbia University where he won seed funding for his first restaurant venture, "Hill Country Barbecue Market", by the school’s Eugene M. Lang Entrepreneurial Fund’s new business plan competition.
Not only is "Hill Country" considered a hot new restaurant in NYC (30 West 26th Street), but it has been given great reviews by the NY Times, NY Magazine and The Wall Street Journal to name a few.
And what makes his restaurant so unique? I'll give you a hint. You're going to need a lot of napkins!
Continue reading...
It's all about Texas barbeque at "Hill Country" ...and it stems from Marc's grandfather who was the mayor of Lockhart, Texas where his family dates back four generations.
Per Marc, as a child,
Tell me you're not salivating after watching that video above! Incidentally, the most popular item is the Brisket (Marc’s favorite is the Prime Rib!). 
"I looked forward to my Texas visits, where I indulged in all the local traditions, including eating smoked sausages and barbecue at the legendary Kreuz Market, drinking Big Red Soda, cooling off with Blue Bell Ice Cream, and enjoyed the sounds of Austin’s rock, blues and country music. Whether I was listening to my grandfather’s proud tales of growing up in the Lone Star State, or traveling with family and friends through Central Texas “Hill Country,” these are the memories that inspired me to open a New York City restaurant to honor the barbecue and live music capital of Texas."
"No other barbecue place that has opened in recent years has gotten it so right, right out of the gate. Hill Country is one of the finest new barbecue spots to open in New York in quite some time. The brisket is a thing of balance and beauty." -NY Times
And with the quote above, I don't think you can go wrong with whatever you order!
Check out his menu below! +/-
...And if you think you've seen the "Glosserman" name before on DT, you're right. Let's not forget about Marc's younger successful filmmaker brother Scott Glosserman (C'99, Sigma Chi, Friars)!
Get in touch with Marc: marc at hillcountryny.com
Visit Hill Country and be sure to tell Marc you read about him on DT!
More posts about Penn entrepreneurs HERE
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